


Someone Who Cares

by idra



Series: 28 Days of Love [5]
Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 18:38:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16224980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idra/pseuds/idra
Summary: Matt doesn't think the man of his dreams cares about him the way he cares.





	Someone Who Cares

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5 prompt is lovebirds. Mostly got the prompt in by the title (which is a lyric from a June Carter Cash song by the name of Without a Love to Call My Own, in which she references lovebirds) and one brief mention of people acting like lovebirds. *shrug*

Matt sits at the bar, glancing back over the crowded bar. Molly’s is as busy as ever, this particular Valentine’s Day. Most of the crew from the Firehouse is there as well as Voight’s team, not to mention the group from Med. And it seems like everyone is paired off-- everyone except him. Herman’s with his wife, as are Boden and Mouch. Cruz has Stella in his arms as they’re dancing around the bar, and Otis is wrapped up around Brett. The rest of the people in the bar all have dates, if not permanent partners. They all look like regular little lovebirds. Matt’s not sure which ones are just one night stands and which ones are more regular. He hasn’t kept up since Gabby left him. To be honest, he hasn’t cared enough since she’d left.

Not that he’d blamed her for leaving him. He knows what everyone thinks-- that she’d left to go work in Puerto Rico because she wanted to be of help. That’s not the only reason though. Matt sighs and chugs the rest of his beer, signaling the bartender for another. He drinks that one nearly as fast and looks through the crowd, seeking out the other reason Gabby had left him. He’d been stupid to think he was alone in the apartment they shared. Yes, Gabby had been out with Brett. But Matt had known they wouldn’t be out long. He was sure he’d have enough time to get off thinking about one of his best friends.

He sighs when he doesn’t see the object of his search and turns back to his beer. He drinks about half of it and contemplates ordering something stronger when he feels someone sitting next to him. “How many?” Kelly asks, hand on Matt’s shoulder. 

Matt shrugs. He’s off for the next two days, unless an emergency comes up, so he can drink what he wants. “Didn’t count.” 

“Really? Matt, you’re one of the most controlled guys at the station. You doing this because of Gabby being gone?” 

“Sort of,” he answers, if not fully truthful, enough to make Kelly leave him alone, he hopes.

“Why don’t we get a bottle of Jameson and head home? I’ll make you something to eat and you can drown your sorrows and not torture yourself in a bar full of couples.” Kelly stands, signaling to the bartender as he drops some bills on the counter. 

Matt lets himself be pulled along, licking his lips as Kelly places a hand on his lower back. “You been drinking?” 

“Not yet. I was actually looking for you. You know Stella and I were dating, right?” 

“She’s with Cruz?” 

“Yeah. She and I... We didn’t work out. I... We’ll talk when we get home, okay?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” Matt climbs in the passenger seat of Kelly’s car and they head to Matt’s apartment. 

Once they’re inside, Matt flops down on the couch and stares up at the ceiling. “Gabby left me,” he says as Kelly sits next to him. “She left me because I’m in love with someone else. Oh, part of it was the opportunity in Puerto Rico, but mostly, because I can’t stop loving him.” Matt turns his head to watch Kelly-- to gauge his reaction. 

One eyebrow shooting up, Kelly can only smile a little. “Funnily enough, that’s why Stella and I didn’t work. See, I’ve been in love with this guy for...years. Five, six, I think I lost count. We kind of came up together, through the ranks, if you will.”

Matt scrunches up his nose. “You’re... You like guys?” 

Snorting, Kelly nods, sure enough in what he’s reading from Matt to put his hand on Matt’s knee. “I like one guy. See, my buddy, Andy, he knew. He knew about my feelings and kept telling me to go for it. Then he died. I was angry with the world, but particularly this guy, because I wrongly blamed him. Then the guy gets engaged to a nurse. Loses that nurse, has a couple of relationships, then gets into a serious relationship with one of our paramedics-- my best friend’s partner on their rig. I’m devastated so I go through several relationships in the interim. End up dating a fellow firefighter. She’s a knock out. Great girl, but I can’t stop loving this guy. Then he and his girl break up. She leaves him to go to Puerto Rico, of all places.”

Matt looks down at the hand that’s sliding up and down his leg, coming close to, but never actually reaching his crotch. He swallows hard. “Well, you and this guy have wasted a hell of a lot of time, because he’s had feelings for you probably at least as long. And now, I know why Andy would always laugh like a loon whenever I’d watch you.”

Kelly laughs and leans closer. “We’re morons. But... Maybe this is the way it was meant to be. I would’ve been even more heartbroken back then if we’d been together and we’d lost Andy the way we did.” 

“Same.” Matt pulls back a little. “Kelly, I want to. God knows I want to, but... I’m not sober enough to remember all this and be sure it’s not a dream. I want to know it’s not a dream.” 

Kelly sits back and smiles. “I will be kissing you before the night is over, Matt. For now, go put this bottle away and I’ll make you some spaghetti.” 

Matt nods and gets to his feet. “I should have everything.” 

“Good enough,” Kelly says. He watches Matt walk over to the bar, smirking a little before he gets up and heads into the kitchen. He grabs some hamburger from the fridge and starts browning it. “You got tomato sauce?” 

“Uh. Somewhere. I think.” Matt makes his way to the breakfast bar and sits down. “You look good in my kitchen.” 

Kelly laughs and starts going through cupboards. “Okay, if I’m moving back in here, you’re gonna need to let me organize the kitchen. This is a nightmare,” he says as he pulls two cans of tomatoes from the same cupboard that the coffee mugs are in.

“I usually just shove stuff wherever there’s empty space.” Matt shrugs, smiling at Kelly. “I can find stuff.” 

“Of course you can,” Kelly says. “I’m still going to at least put food in one cupboard, not in with dishes.” 

“As long as you’re here with me, I’m okay with that.” Matt gives Kelly a quick grin and a shrug when Kelly raises an eyebrow at him.


End file.
